Model A club bringing cars to Elkins

Tim MacVean

Senior Staff Writer

tmacvean@theintermountain.com

The Inter-Mountain photo by Tim MacVean
Don Trimble, representative from the ‘Mountain Model A Club,’ made a funding request presentation to the Randolph County Commission Thursday for their ‘Mountain Memories’ tour, slated for Sept. 17 through Sept. 20, in Elkins.

ELKINS — The Randolph County Commission heard a funding request from a local organization for an event later this month that will bring more than 200 antique cars to Elkins.

Don Trimble, representing the “Mountain Model A Club,” made the request for the “Mountain Memories” tour, slated for Sept. 17-20, during the commission’s bi-monthly meeting Thursday. Commissioners Mark Scott and Chris See voted to approve that $2,000, taken from the hotel/motel tax budget line, be donated to the group.

“We are a region of the bigger Model A restorers club, which is a national club that’s been in existence since 1952,” Trimble explained. “For years, it has been a tradition that regions bring Model A’s to their area, and we decided after years of traveling to other regions, and taking our Model A’s, that we should bring people to Elkins. Elkins has everything to offer that all these other people have to offer, it’s beautiful here and we want to bring people in.”

Trimble said there are already hundreds of people and Model A Fords registered for the event.

“We have filled all the hotels in Elkins and have actually spilled over into Buckhannon because we have so many responses. We have over 350 people coming to Elkins, we have over 200 Model A’s,” he said.

He said this event — the 90th anniversary of the Ford Model A — will feature a welcome party, a variety of tours and a cruise-in.

“It’s going to bring a lot of tourism and attention to Elkins,” Trimble said. “This is the 90th anniversary of the Model A Ford car and this will also be the first time a regional meet will be held in the state of West Virginia.”

To date, registrants for the tour hail from 20 different states, some as far away as California.

“It really is a big deal in Elkins,” Tribble said. “This turned out to be much better received than we thought it would be. We had no idea we would have the reception that we do. This is as big as anyone’s region tour that has been done.”

Tribble closed his presentation by saying the reason the tour is called the “Mountain Memories” tour is because he wants participants to do just as the name suggests — make memories while they are in Elkins.

“The tour is called the ‘Mountain Memories’ tour and we want our attendees to have special memories that bring them back,” he said.

Scott said he believes it’s a big deal to have the first tour in the state take place in Elkins.

“This event, like you said, is the first one in West Virginia and to our region of the state. You have one of our hotels as the official hotel for the event and that’s a big deal,” Scott said. “We are excited that you all are coming, we hope it’s a great event and I know you guys have to be nervous. Anytime you put something on like this you’re a nervous wreck until it’s done and I can tell you’ve put a lot of work into it. I’m looking forward to coming out, meeting the folks and seeing the cars.”

In other business:

• Commissioners approved a letter of support to the Adrian PSD for a water line extension in the Pickens area.

• Commissioners approved a funding request in the amount of $5,000, to be taken from the courthouse contractual budget line, for a jobs coordinator for Randolph County Schools.

• Commissioners approved the appointment of Nils Heinke to a three-year term as a member of the Elkins-Randolph County Regional Airport Authority, effective July 1 through June 30, 2021.